Thomas I
Tomas Henries was a Uranian statesman and politician who founded the Uranian Empire as first Uranian Emperor in 10 ANE. The twin brother of Matau Henries, he played an increasingly leading role in his brother's regime and formally transformed the fascist dictatorship into an imperial autocracy. His rule was considered to be especially brutal, particularly in his conduct in the Uranian war in Carsia. He was assassinated only two years into his reign, being replaced on the throne by his close ally Matau Langweilig. Born into a poor family and living a mundane existence in and around Beltondod working primarily as a labourer and later as an office worker, he avoided military service in the Rilgorian Wars due to his age. When Matau entered nationalist politics, Tomas followed him and was initially regarded as a burden. After Matau seized power, Tomas used his family connection to gain a position on the Uranian general staff, where he was not well regarded. It was during this period that he developed his own political philosophy and began to gain a tight group of friends and allies whom he would rely on in later life. In 4 ANE, Matau transferred him out of the army at the request of his colleagues who did not like him, and was given the relatively junior position of Minister of State Administration and Public Affairs. Under this ministry, Tomas was successful in securing for himself increasing amounts of power and influence, particularly by shaving responsibilities from other ministries and absorbing them into his own. This resulted in him developing an intense rivalry with Ludwig Hermann Tobias, nominally the Minister of the Interior but in practice the deputy and apparent successor to Matau. His influence was so great that he was successful in securing the post of Minister of State Security (i.e. chief of the secret police) after Adolphus Schwarz was deposed, being replaced as Administration minister by his close ally Wolfgang Henke. Under his new ministry, Tomas substantially expanded the power of the secret police and was generally regarded as the most feared man in the Uranian Territory. His bitter rivalry with Tobias was exacerbated by Tobias successfully manoeuvring the regular police and paramilitary units out of Tomas's control. Tomas held unorthodox views on the political future of Urania. He shared his brother's views on a pan-Uranic ethnic state and the expulsion of the 'eastern hordes' of Carsic 'barbarians' to be replaced by a Uranian-dominated continent. However while Henries was content to do it under the current constitutional set-up (a republican dictatorship which never formally renounced the old constitution of the previously democratic Uranian Territory), Tomas felt an imperial empire was the best way in which to achieve these aims. He looked to Grosnie in the south with its imperial make-up as the inspiration, and argued an empire would project grandiose power and last for a thousand years. This belief resulting in him building up a powerful collection of allies among his many friends and colleagues during his rise through the ranks of the government, and contrasted strongly with both Matau's and Ludwig Hermann Tobias's republican views. When Matau was assassinated in controversial circumstances in November 10 ANE, it sparked off a brief but bloody power struggle between Tomas and Tobias. In little under a week, Tomas had out-manoeuvred Tobias, successfully gaining the support of the armed forces and ousting Tobias's allies from power. Tobias fled while Tomas violently purged the country throughout November. Tomas moved quickly to consolidate his rule and was crowned the first Uranian Emperor a little over a month later in December 10 ANE. His rule was brief but violent; the war in Carsia still raged and Tomas did not hesitate to begin the ethnic cleansing of occupied areas which had originally been planned only after victory. The death toll of Uranian killings in Carsia between 11 and 12 ANE is estimated at around 3 to 4 million people. Despite this, Tomas's ability as a military commander was poor, and the Uranian advance slowed to a crawl; it was only after his own death that the Uranian advance picked up again. The Uranians also invaded Kerwan under Tomas's rule in July 12 ANE, while relations with allied fascist Pokitaru deteriorated significantly (leading to the invasion and occupation of Pokitaru in May 13 ANE). Tomas was assassinated in Bellie on 18 November 12 ANE. He was replaced by his close ally Matau Langweilig as Emperor. Early life Childhood and adolescence Adulthood In government General staff Entry into the ministries Chief of the Secret Police President and Emperor Power struggle